Soybean Genome Sequence Complete

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.Purdue University scientists have completed genome sequencing of the soybean, which will speed up the work scientists are able to do to improve the plant's characteristics.

Researchers found the soybean has about 46,000 genes; however, 70 percent to 80 percent are duplicates, which may make it difficult to target the genes necessary to improve soybean characteristics such as seed size, oil content or yield. Many of the duplicated genes in the soybean genome have been shuffled, making it hard to predict where the duplicate copies of a gene might be. This complicates the genetics and breeding of soybeans.

"It really is going to change the way we ask questions about soybeans in research," said one researcher. "What used to take us literally years can take us weeks or months now. This is the entire genetic code in front of you."

The largest proportion of the soybean genome is composed of transposable elements, or TEs, which are often referred to as genomic junks. Bursts of activity from TEs, as well as their enormous presence, inevitably have an impact on the functionality of genes. The team's annotation of a nearly complete set of TEs in the sequenced genome led to another discovery regarding how TEs thrive in the host genome.